Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Von Hohenspitz, winning under Skreptsdorf, came within five days' march of the Flossian capital. Bishop Michheim sent a messenger to Rückelburg in order to mobilize the garrison under Elector Könstrelle. Rallying all the available troops west of the River Flosse, he managed to procure nine conscript battalions - a sad sight indeed. Furthermore, another six companies were saved by him after the defeat. These were from a variety of units, a rag-tag band and their battlefield experiences did not help the bishop at all. Neither did the fact that there were not any eligible commanders to aid him in planning the defense of Rückelburg.

The city garrison consisted of a Grenzer and a Pioneer battalion. They also had a provisional dragoon squadron and a militia unit. Luckily enough, the training bands of the artillery regiment had five large bore cannon that would prove useful. Elector Könstrelle decided to mount the militia on horses to have at least a little cavalry. About a hundred men were somehow able to ride a horse.

Michheim devised a plan. He intended to hold the Schlachthoff and Schwarzburg bridges for a while, then burn them down retreating. Would any of the two bridgeheads be attacked, in two or three hours' march the other could send aid, burning down their own. This wins them two or three more days, and in that time more reinforcements could flow in or, what's even more desirable, von Presser could overcome the other Böhnstadter army and at least enforce a stalemate with Hohenspitz.

Monday, June 9, 2014

His centre consisted of the large body of foot he had at his disposal. These were very low quality troops.

The centre of the forward line was the large Losenburg battalion, behind it the similarly large Militia battalion that had no firearms. To their right stood one ragged Landwehr unit of two companies and the guns in the second line; West of these again two Landwehr units. The rest was equally distributed on the left centre.

On the far left flank stood one Dragoon unit, on the right, below the walls, two.

Von Hohenspitz conducted a reconnaisance mission earlier with a Freelancer troop and decided to form a standard battle line, the 1st Prinzipalitär's five battalions in the first and the 2nd's three and the Eugen Jäger in the second. Two large amassed bodies of horse were sent on the flanks, the regulars (one unit of Leibdragoner and Annelise Cuirassiers on both flanks, plus the Garde on the left) were supported by the light Freelancers further outwards. The general wished to hold the two ends of the Flossian line in a pincer then deliver the fatal blow with his superior infantry.

The battle began with the cannon opening fire on each other. The Flossian guns' shot fell short and landed between the 1st Regiment's ranks. The first Böhnstadter battery returned fire towards the enemy cannon while the 2nd battered the first enemy line in the centre.

A little while later the Böhnstadter cavalry moved out and confronted the Flossian dragoons. The right flank gave way quickly but the left held out. Nonetheless, the two main lines became unbalanced. The Böhnstadter main attack swung to the right from its left end and rolled the Flossian defense up. At the first signs of disorder the green Union troops ran away, and in an hour the Landwehr brigade had been totally dispersed. Elector Michheim escaped, carried off by a fleeing dragoon company. Most of the troops ran away too as von Hohenspitz did not pursue. The bishop's delayment tactics seemed to work for a while, but now the Flossian hinterlands are in danger...

While a lot of men were wounded on the Böhnstadter side, most of those were minor and losses were thus minimal. The 1st regiment's Grenadier companies suffered a great deal.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Elector Michheim, after a successful screen by the Liliensbad dragoons, decided he would not stand battle against the enemy twice his numbers. He marched towards Skreptsdorf to the north, alerting the nearby militia battalion and the fort of Losenburg, which held 8 companies. All this force then reached Skreptsdorf in a tiresome forced march by midnight, barely escaping von Hohenspitz's avant-garde.

The bishop, with the crew of Skreptsdorf, now had four more battalions, making his army up to fourteen against Hohenspitz's 21. His men were tired: he extended the earthworks around Skreptsdorf Keep as much as he could, drew up the five small guns he took from the forts, and prepared to stand his ground.

Von Hohenspitz followed in a steady place, trying not to exhaust his men.

The defenders of Grübsheim left the fort, joining with Elector von Presser in the town of Rammsfeld, when the Böhnstadter brigade descended from the southern hills.

Neckersburg, fielding only three companies of irregulars, surrendered to Dietrich von Spülge.